Phillip Pines, 76, was the only person on board the plane that went down a couple miles south of the Racine airport.
An airport official said the aircraft apparently lost power as it tried to land around 6:30 p.m. Monday
Pines was described as a heroic pilot. He radioed about having problems. Authorities in Racine county say Pines attempted to land the plane in an area that was open. In doing so, he avoided several populated subdivisions